President of Warsaw Jewish Community Forced to Issue “war Proclamation”

Jews in the Warsaw ghetto are being urged to “keep a cool head” in a proclamation issued by Engineer Czernikow, President of the Warsaw Jewish Community, at the order of the Nazi authorities.

The proclamation, a copy of which has just been received here, was issued in connection with the Nasi campaign against Russia. It reflects the unrest and anxieties created among the inhabitants of the ghetto as a result of the extension of the war to the East, and gives an indication of the new violent threats to which the unhappy ghetto Jews have been exposed. The fact that the proclamation was issued only a fortnight after the military operations against Russia had been started, shows that great care was taken in its wording and the text probably had to be revised many times before it was approved by the authorities.

“The difficult times we are living through,” the proclamation says, “demand from us self-control, calm and a balanced mind. In the face of the Premont we must keep a cool head, thus proving that we understand the gravity of this historical moment and that we shall be able to adapt ourselves to it. Strict obedience toward all the orders from the authorities and the militia is the foremost duty of everyone. This duty must be fulfilled in order to avoid compulsory measures being taken. Everyone must realise that in addition to being held responsible for his actions, he might also endanger the whole community by acting frivolously or disobeying orders and regulations.